Kiranchandra Crematorium gets new furnance worth over Rs 1 cr

siliguri: A new electric furnace has been set up at the Kiranchandra Crematorium by the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC). With this new addition, the rematorium now has a total of three furnaces.

Gautam Deb, Mayor of Siliguri along with Ranjan Sarkar, Deputy Mayor inaugurated the furnace on Monday.

“This is the only crematorium which is situated in the heart of the city. For this it has a great importance. Previously, there were only two furnaces. Hence, long queues were seen at the crematorium. The pressure on the two furnaces has increased with the growing population of the city. We have set up this new furnace to solve this issue. More furnaces will be installed soon,” said Gautam Deb.

Deb further said that this entire crematorium will be given a facelift within eight months. The first furnace building will be rebuilt, a fourth furnace will be installed very soon along with a cafeteria, a waiting room and a new transformer at the crematorium.

A total of Rs 1 crore 53 lakh 53 thousand and 973 has been spent on the furnace. The crematorium was in a dilapidated state due to lack of maintenance. After the TMC formed the board, the work of setting up these new furnaces at the crematorium commenced.

Talking about the beautification of the Mahananda River bank, Deb said: “We will discuss with the irrigation department for creating a dam at the Mahananda river bank. We will beautify the entire area.”

The Shahudangi Crematorium will also be handed over to the SMC for maintenance. The North Bengal Development Department (NBDD) and Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA) will provide funds. “If people start using the Shahudangi Crematorium, then it will take some pressure off the Kiranchandra Crematorium,” Deb added.